Des Buckingham: I think the future is bright, not just for our team but for Indian Football in general

The head coach was delighted with the performance of his all-Indian squad.

Mumbai City kick-started their Super Cup 2023 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Churchill Brothers on Tuesday. The Islanders might have dominated the lion's share of possession but struggled to break down a rigid I-League side for the majority of the game.

As a matter of fact, Des Buckingham's side fell behind in the 9th minute – with a poor error from Phurba Lachenpa gifting a goal to Ansoumana Kromah. The Islanders fought back to get an equalizer later in the first half through Mehtab Singh’s header. They kept pushing for a winner and got it in added time, with Lallianzuala Chhangte slotting away a late penalty to give his side all three points.

Buckingham’s thoughts on the win

Mumbai head coach Des Buckingham was quite pleased with his side’s performance on the day, as he remarked after the game, “I thought we started off well and created numerous chances. We had a penalty that wasn’t given in the first half. I think to kick-off at 5 PM here in this heat is very tough. So for both teams to play like that in 90 minutes was very good. It’s tournament football and we know we must start it well and we managed to do that. In the end of the game, our team was a full Indian team and very young. I’m pleased with that too.”

Proud of Lachenpa’s response to the mistake

When asked about Phurba Lachenpa’s mistake and how his side came back from going a goal down, the Englishman explained, “The players make mistakes. Phurba got caught with the ball with his feet. That’s on me because we ask players and the goalkeeper to play a certain way and that comes with certain risks. But I want him to continue doing that, it’s the type of football with our passing build-up that we want to keep playing. I’ll keep asking him to do it.

“I’m very pleased to see him continue trying to get on the ball, being so young. The players help him and he’ll get more encouragement to play a certain way. We went a goal down because of one mistake. But we knew that even if it takes us 30 minutes to find an equalizer or 92nd minute to score a winner, we’ll stick to our style and the performances will often deliver a result for us,” he added.

Is the Future of Mumbai City in bright hands?

Speaking about the future of Mumbai City after fielding multiple young talent in the game, Des Buckingham stated, “I think the future is bright, not just for our team but in Indian Football in general. I see a lot of teams with bright young players. We finished the game with a young all-Indian lineup – with Gurkirat on the left, Ayush (Chhikara) leading the right and Vikram on the right. Hardik started the game too. This tournament gives these players the to show what they can do and get more minutes than what they did in the ISL. Vikram had an impact on the game, winning the penalty in the end.”

Thoughts on Chhangte

Des Buckingham also spoke about Chhangte’s performance on the day, saying, “He was good. I think his new relationship with Hardik (Bhatt) is behind him. He’s gotten to play with (Rahul) Bheke behind him mostly. He’ll get used to playing with those who play behind him, be it Hardik or Sanjeev (Stalin). Then to play with his nearest play, which is Apuia.

"That will likely change after the next game, after the injury he picked up. Chhangte’s had a wonderful season and he’s contributed heavily to our success. I think the environment they’re working, to see Vikram win the penalty and give Chhangte the opportunity to score. You want your big players to take those opportunities and I’m pleased that he capitalized on it well.”

Proud of Mumbai’s All-India team’s effort

Des Buckingham is pleased that his side can keep performing well without foreign players in their team, as he explained: “We scored 54 goals in the league season, which was 20 more than any other team. I think any other team who won 2-1, we scored two this evening, they’d be getting praise but for us, it’s not enough. Not only did we field an all-Indian lineup today, but it’s also a young side as well.

"They found a way to win, one from a set piece and a penalty in the end. That’s the most pleasant thing. We know we can create, we created many in the first half and just couldn’t finish moves off. As long as we do that for the next two group games, we’ll put ourselves in a strong position to progress.”

Can Mumbai City fans expect a similar team against NorthEast?

When asked if fans can expect to see the same starting lineup in the next group game against NorthEast United, Buckingham stated, “We have three days to recover. The good thing is we have an 8:30 PM kickoff for the next game, so it won’t be as humid. We have some experience in our bench too, the likes of Mandar (Rao Dessai) too, so we’ll see what our best squad is at that moment.

"Apuia is of course doubtful by the size of the ankle that I saw in the changing room. Other than that, the rest of the players seem OK to go again,” he finished off with.